President William Ruto has issued a warning to hospitals that fail to submit accurate data on maternal and child mortality in their facilities.
Speaking during a press briefing on Wednesday, November 19, the Head of State said that all hospitals across the country will be required to submit data on mothers and children who have lost their lives in their premises to the Digital Health Authority (DHA).
A maternal death is the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of the pregnancy's termination from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
These deaths are often due to preventable factors like poor-quality care, insufficient healthcare providers or a lack of essential medical supplies.
According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) 2022, the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is 355 deaths per 100,000 live births, which translates to about 6,000 deaths each year.
On the other hand, the survey reported that Kenya's infant mortality rate is 32 deaths per 1000 live births. The survey noted that several factors, including the mother's age, birth size, maternal education, place of delivery, birth intervals and number of antenatal care (ANC) visits, were key contributors to these deaths.
"Maternal and newborn mortalities remain unacceptably high. No woman should die while giving birth, and no baby should be lost to preventable causes. The Ministry of Health is under firm instruction to deliver rapid, measurable reductions through real-time reporting of every case," the President said.
"We cannot be losing upwards of 300 in 100,000, while the benchmark is 70. Going forward, we have agreed with the DHA that it's going to provide data and every facility in Kenya, public or provide, must provide data on mothers and children who die in their facilities because I know that there are facilities that continue to hide this data," he added.
The President has further directed the Ministry of Health to survey all counties, a process that is expected to be completed by March 2026, to determine which counties are experiencing a high mortality rate.
Accurate data on maternal mortality will be leveraged by the Ministry of Health to mend the dents in the country's health sector that are catalysing maternal deaths, which have accelerated in recent years, according to the President.
The Head of State issued these directives during an event which saw the WHO hand over ambulances and medical supplies to the Ministry of Health, which will supply all national referral facilities and the national emergency response centres.
According to these equipment will play a key role in improving emergency referral care, improving oxygen capacity, and most importantly, reducing maternal mortality in the country.
Tana River, Garissa, Samburu, Marsabit, Siaya and Elgeyo Marakwet, which are the hardest hit counties by maternal mortality, are among the regions that will also benefit from the equipment.
"I was very embarrassed when I was confronted in New York by a good friend of Kenya who asked me, 'How is it acceptable in Kenya that upwards of 300 mothers and children die in our facilities?' and this is something that has bothered me very much," Ruto said.
